The ninth-ranked Middlebury field hockey team scored 56 seconds into Wednesday's opening round of the NCAA Tournament and never looked back for a 6-0 victory over Westfield State. With the triumph, Panther head coach Katharine DeLorenzo became just the 15th field hockey coach across the three NCAA divisions to surpass the 500-win plateau (500-134-2) for her career.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury struck in the first minute when the hosts were awarded a penalty stroke. Megan Fuqua stepped to the dot, rifling a bid into the lower-left side of the cage for a 1-0 advantage.
• The Panthers produced a quality chance a minute later when Georgianne Defeo cut left on a feed from Fuqua, but an Owl defender blocked away Defeo's reverse attempt.
• Following its second penalty corner of the frame in the waning seconds, a bouncing shot by Grace Keefe was saved off the pads of Westfield State goalie Emma Gniadek to maintain the one-goal margin.
• Middlebury made it a 2-0 game with 4:16 expired in the second quarter on a second penalty stroke. Fuqua matched her effort in the opening quarter, finding space inside the left post past a diving Gniadek. 
• The Panthers increased their edge near the midway point of the frame. Claire McMichael's initial shot was blocked, but the rebound returned to her stick. She quickly lifted the ball into the left side of the cage with 7:47 elapsed to establish a 3-0 lead.
• The Panthers kept up the pressure four minutes after the break. Fuqua's shot was blocked and the rebound came to Addie Chandler, whose attempt was denied by a defender.
• The Middlebury duo reconnected three minutes later. Chandler sent a through pass to a darting Fuqua down the left side of the field, as her reverse swipe tucked into the top-left portion of the cage for a 4-0 advantage.
• The Panthers made it a 5-0 score following a penalty corner with 1:57 showing on the clock. A rising bid from Fuqua tucked inside the left post on a quick feed from Keefe.
• The Owls manufactured their lone chance with 6:34 gone in the final stanza. Caroline Andrade raced down the field, but her bid was saved by the left pad of goalie Thea Rosenzweig.
• Middlebury scored its sixth tally of the contest with 3:35 left, as Chandler tapped in a rebound to finalize the 6-0 decision.

NOTES

• Fuqua's four goals are a career-high and the most by a Panther in an NCAA Tournament contest. Her eight-point effort marks the most in an NCAA postseason contest from a Middlebury player since Lauren Greer '13 had seven (3G, 1A) in the 2012 second round.
• Chandler matched her season-best point output with a goal and a helper.
• The contest was the initial meeting between the schools in field hockey.
• The Panthers tout a 29-game winning streak in the NCAA Tournament dating back to the 2016 season. The squad improves to 62-16 all-time in the national bracket.

Middlebury advances to Saturday's second round for a rematch with#8 Endicott at 2:00 p.m. The regional will be hosted by second-ranked Johns Hopkins.